It is at once the most ridiculed and most misunderstood lawsuit in American history.

Most people say they know some of the facts: An old lady from New Mexico who spilled McDonald's coffee on herself while driving successfully sued the company for a million bucks by claiming their coffee was too hot.

But most people don't know any of the facts.

Then-79-year-old Stella Liebeck was sitting inside a park car when the spill occurred. She suffered horrific third-degree burns that required skin grafts to repair. Liebeck only sued McDonald's to cover the cost of her medical bills after company threw an insulting $800 worth of hush money at her. It was the jury who decided to award Liebeck $2.9 million in punitive damages after her attorney demonstrated a willful disregard on McDonald's part for the scores who have been similarly scorched by their way-too-hot 190-degree coffee over the previous decade.

Nonetheless, Liebeck only ended up with $500,000 after all was said and done.

It's a vital documentary short not just for its own sake, but for the sake of realizing how little we actually know about the things we say we do.

Update 3:26 p.m.: I linked to it above, but before it becomes the only comment, please make sure to watch Hot Coffee.

It's a 2011 documentary feature by Susan Saladoff that takes a more expansive look at Liebeck within the context of an ongoing corporate push for tort reform that marginalizes the legitimate complaints of consumers.